The Trouble with Trevor
by Alun Aleriksson
Summary: First chapter doubles as a summary and prologue. T for language instances.
1. Chapter 1

The Trouble with Trevor

Summary

Isabella hadn't meant for this to happen. Things were supposed to work out; the heroes were supposed to live happily ever after. Instead, it seemed as though everyone was going to lose something, or rather, someone, because of her actions.

'What am I supposed to do now?' She thought. "Phineas probably hates me; how can I make it up to him?' She had never regretted a decision more in her entire life, but she swore to make it better, to fix what she had done wrong.

All she needed was a plan.


	2. The New Guy in Town

Disclaimer- Phineas and Ferb is most certainly not mine, but the plot is.

Ch. 1 – The New Guy in Town

It was the first day of senior year, and Isabella was ready to go.

"Pencils, check. Notebook, check." She said to herself, making sure she had everything for the big day. "Purse, check. Lunch money, check." She looked at herself in the mirror one more time and straightened her hair.

Isabella had certainly grown up, and her outfit had evolved. The bow had been deemed childish years ago, to be replaced by a bright pink set of hair clips to keep her shiny black locks out of her face. Her pink shirt was now a short-sleeved V-neck that hugged her figure and accentuated her body along with the skinny blue jeans she now wore.

She was a lot curvier than she had been before high school: Mother Nature had been kind to her, despite her eating habits. She guessed it was because of the work and exercise that went along with keeping up with Phineas and Ferb. The brothers had not slowed down a bit since reaching high school, still determined to make each day count. Due to homework, the inventions didn't come daily, but they were no less spectacular than the ones she remembered from when they were kids.

"Isa! You need to go!" Her mother's shout roused her from her thoughts, and she jumped back into the present.

"Coming, Mom!" She yelled back before stuffing what she needed into her backpack, grabbing her keys off her dresser, and racing down the stairs. She snagged a granola bar on her way out to her car for breakfast, bid her mother farewell, and drove off in the direction of Danville High School.

As she pulled into the parking lot reserved for students, she noticed a crowd gathering by the front doors. She smirked. That could only mean one thing: Phineas and Ferb had something new to show off.

Being the best friend of the duo in question, Isabella had no problems making it to the center, where the boys were demonstrating their gadget. The crowd parted as they saw her, and she was soon standing next to her favorite inventors, right where she belonged. She cleared her throat.

"Hey, Phineas. Whatch'a doin'?"

Phineas greeted her with a large grin. "Good morning Isabella! Ferb and I have revolutionized the first day of school forever! Behold! The Sign-Awayinator! For all those pesky forms and fill-ins you get on the first day of school! See, it takes your personal information, like name, date of birth, et cetera, ant inputs them here." He pointed to a small purple dome on top of the metal box he was holding. "Then you put one of your school forms, say, physical activity waiver, underneath it, and it'll automatically fill in any blanks on the sheet with minimal effort done by you! It can even scan and replicate a signature, so your parents only need to sign once!"

"Isn't that forgery?" Isabella asked.

Phineas shook his head. " We checked it out; as long as the guardian signs the first one, there are no laws against replicating it for the others. We wouldn't do anything illegal, Isabella."

"So why the '-inator' at the end?"

Phineas looked at Ferb and shrugged. "It just sounded cooler that way."

"It sounds like you are being lazy," Baljeet's distinctive voice said, as he and Buford arrived. "Why can you not just handwrite the information?"

"Lazy? Do you know how long it took for us to conceptualize and construct this marvel of modern technology?" Phineas defended himself and his brother from such a harsh insult.

"About ten minutes?" Buford guessed.

"Almost twenty, thank you very much. But we've had the idea for three years now. Can't believe we waited this long to actually act on it."

"Whateva, Dinner Bell, Buford don't need no fancy box to write his name."

The bell rang at that moment, reminding the gang where they were.

"Whoops! Don't wanna be late on the first day!" Phineas commented as the group turned to go inside the school. "Who do you have for homeroom, Isabella?

Isabella consulted her schedule. "Looks like… Mr. Garten, room 109."

"Cool, that's where we're headed, too. Guess that's what we get for our last names being so alphabetically close, huh?" Ferb nodded his agreement.

They were among the last to arrive at the classroom, so they had no choice but to sit close to the front. Mr. Garten was a short, balding, heavyset man with glasses and a sweater-vest on.

"Greetings, students. Glad to see you all survived the summer. I'll begin today by organizing you in alphabetical order." His voice was cheery and he sounded genuinely excited to be in school. "First, may I have Miss Helen Fells in this seat here? Thank you. Next, Joseph Ferrous here, please."

"Just call me Joe," said Joe.

"Joe it shall be." Mr. Garten made a mark on his clipboard to remind himself.

The process was going smoothly until a student knocking on the open door interrupted Mr. Garten.

"Uh, hi? I just got here from the office; they said I should come here. My name's Trevor Garland, I'm new." He was tall, athletic, and had brown hair and eyes. His attractiveness did not go unnoticed by any girl in the room.

"Come in, my boy! What perfect timing you have! I've just seated Miss Garcia-Shapiro here, you can have the seat on her right." Mr. Garten gestured broadly to the empty desk, and Trevor sat down. "Now then," Mr. Garten continued. "Mr. Evan Gilbert, have a seat there, thank you!"

Isabella leaned over and offered her hand. "Hi, welcome to Danville. I'm Isabella."

Trevor immediately shook it. "Nice to meet you, Isabella, I'm Trevor."

Isabella giggled. "I know, you said that. So, where are you from?"

"My family's from New York; my dad was transferred out here for the military. Not sure why; nothing seems to be out here." Trevor replied.

"Don't worry: It isn't all bad." Isabella consoled.

"Not if the girls here are all as pretty as you," Trevor said.

Isabella blushed, but changed the subject. "Wait 'till you meet Phineas and Ferb. They'll show you how fun Danville can be!"

"Can't wait!" was Trevor's response.

Mr. Garten addressed the class, "Now that you are all seated, I'll pass out the general forms you'll need to hand back in as soon as possible. You know the drill by now."

The class collectively groaned as page after page was handed down the rows of desks. Phineas just smiled to himself and placed each one under the Sign-Awayinator before handing the device to Ferb so he could do the same.


	3. Meeting at Midday

Disclaimer- Phineas and Ferb is still not mine, but thanks for checking.

Decided to post this out of excitement, will probably update Saturdays from now on.

**Piano-Man aka PhinbellaFanatic:** She's going to have to decide whether she does or not. Right now, yes she does.

Ch. 2 – Meeting at Midday 

Lunch had never been particularly exciting at Danville High, but today promised to be different. Trevor had accepted Isabella's invitation to sit with her friends, and had followed her from her locker to the cafeteria. They bought their lunch as quickly as they could and joined Phineas and Ferb at a table near the center of the room.

"Hey guys, where are Baljeet and Buford?" Isabella asked as she sat down next to Phineas. Trevor took the seat on her other side.

"They got in line just after you did," Phineas said and turned to look behind him. "There they are." He waved the pair over, and they took the seats on each side of Ferb, opposite the other three.

"No weird invention to make your lunch for you, too? Maybe you guys aren't so lazy after all." Isabella remarked.

"We would have, but the trials for that one ended… poorly," Phineas replied.

"Carrot flavor and yogurt do not mix well." Ferb added. He had gotten into the habit of talking more often, usually with an intellectually inspiring comment when he felt it was needed.

"So we just packed them separately by hand." Phineas finished.

Trevor was intrigued, not just by the invention they seemed to be discussing, but also the manner and appearance of the two boys in front of him. The green-haired boy sounded English, and of course, Phineas' defining trait was his large, pointed nose. One was smiling, the other straight-faced. He could tell both were exceptionally smart. "You two must be Phineas and Ferb. Isabella couldn't stop talking about you all morning. She said you were the greatest inventors who ever lived."

"Yes, and no." Phineas said. "Ferb and I try to make the most out of every day, so sometimes we make stuff, and sometimes it's just an adventure! We're not trying for fame, we're trying for fun."

"It sounds like you've gotten both." Trevor commented.

"Well, we're not really well known outside of Danville yet, but we hope to change that. Ferb here wants to open up his own dance studio in England."

Trevor was skeptical. "A dance studio? What kind of dancing do you do, Ferb?"

Ferb shrugged.

"You don't know yet?"

Phineas backed up his brother. "Well, it's difficult to explain. I guess the closest thing that could be used to describe Ferb's moves would be modernist, but it doesn't have a genre yet. That's why he wants to open the studio: to introduce people to it."

Ferb nodded enthusiastically.

"I'll have to see some moves sometime," Trevor said. "So, I've heard about a rollercoaster, a backyard beach, a haunted house, and many others. Anything you'd like to add?"

"Did she tell you about the trip around the world in the Sunbeater 3000?"

"That was the first time I ate a bug!" Buford remembered.

"She told me, minus that bug part. Did you guys really need to use rubber bands and plastic baguettes to get back home?"

"After the wings got torn off in the Himalayas, yeah."

"Doesn't that seem dangerous to you?"

Well, we did have seat belts. Good thing, too, considering our landing trend." Phineas said, undeterred. "Our friends trust us, and none of us have ever gotten seriously hurt."

"What about the surprise machine for Isabella's birthday party?" Baljeet asked.

"That was not an injury, that was a mistake." Phineas argued.

"Still, it is good Ferb knew how to perform CPR."

"What are you guys talking about, that machine worked perfectly!" Isabella said.

"Yeah, the one at the party did. Our prototype was a little… too surprising."

"Phineas was tightening a bolt on the front when Buford hit the release button," Baljeet could hardly keep from laughing. "And Phineas fainted from shock."

Phineas folded his arms. "So we dialed it down a little."

"But it was a very useful test." Ferb said.

"Yeah, if that hadn't have happened, you could've been the one who fainted, Isabella!" Phineas regained his positivity in seconds.

Trevor laughed along with the group. He was feeling more at home by the minute. He enjoyed his present company, especially Isabella.

"So what are you doing after school, Trevor?" Phineas' voice brought him back to the table.

"Going home, I guess. There's not much to do after the first day."

"You're welcome to hang out with us; Ferb and I have a dimensional simulator we've been working on."

"Sounds like a good time," Trevor said.

"Great. Here's the address," Phineas scribbled on a piece of paper from the notebook he kept with him at all times, then tore it out and handed it to Trevor. "Or you could just follow Isabella if you drove here."

"Actually, my dad dropped me off. Could I get a ride instead?"

Phineas shook his head. "Ask Isabella. We didn't drive here, either."

Trevor looked at Isabella and raised his eyebrows, asking the question wordlessly.

"Of course I can drive you, Trevor," She responded.

"What if we beat you there?" Trevor asked Phineas.

Phineas smirked. "You couldn't beat us if you tried." He said.

Baljeet gasped in excitement. "Does that mean your molecular teleporter is complete?"

"And approved for safe human transportation." Phineas affirmed. The end of the period bell rang, and the group stood up. "I guess we'll see each other again soon!"

As the brothers walked to their next class, Chemistry, Phineas conferred with Ferb.

"Trevor seems nice," he started.

Ferb only nodded.

"You don't have any thing to say?"

A shake of the head this time.

"Is this one of your 'don't have anything nice to say so don't say it' moments?"

Ferb paused, then nodded again. He couldn't outright lie to Phineas.

"What do you see wrong with him?"

Ferb shook his head.

"You're not gonna tell me, are you?"

Ferb stayed silent as ever.

"C'mon, I got a right to know, I'm your brother!"

"You'll figure it out," was all he got in reply.


	4. A Question with Consequences

Disclaimer- I do not, have not, nor will I ever own Phineas and Ferb.

Ch. 3 – A Question with Consequences

After an exhausting day of listening to teachers drone on about class expectations and what they were going to learn, the friends finally met Phineas and Ferb at their locker, since Isabella and Trevor were already so close.

"You guys ready for some inter-dimensional fun?" Phineas was naturally the first to talk.

"Sorry, Dinner Bell; I got football practice." Buford declined.

"I will also be unable to make it," Baljeet said. "Math club starts today!"

"Baljeet, it's the first day of school," Isabella pointed out.

"Exactly! What better time to begin?" The Indian boy dashed off.

"Huh. I guess it's just the four of us, then." Phineas said. "We'll meet you guys at our house." Ferb clicked a button and the pair disappeared.

Isabella and Trevor stared after them for a moment, until Trevor broke the silence.

"Shall we?"

Isabella started. "Oh, yeah, let's go."

Isabella's car was surprisingly neat and clean for a teenager's. There were no food wrappers or water bottles on the floor, and the dashboard was relatively dust free.

"This is cleaner than most cars I've been in," Trevor noticed.

Isabella patted the dashboard fondly. "I take care of my baby,"

"Your baby?"

"Well, she was my mom's baby before she was my baby, but when mom got a new car, that made it officially mine."

"I had my own car, once." Trevor reminisced.

"What happened to it?"

"Backed it into a mailbox. Dad hasn't let me near the steering wheel since."

"Just for backing into a mailbox?"

"To be fair, it was the third time I had done it, and the bumper was getting tired of splinters in its dents." He laughed at the memory.

Isabella laughed too. She was beginning to like Trevor. She couldn't believe it, but she was beginning to like Trevor.

Trevor's next question was, as a result, not quite out of the blue.

"You wanna grab lunch this weekend? You can tell me more about yourself."

It was as blatant as it was subtle; Isabella hadn't been expecting it so soon.

"I… well…" she stammered.

"I know," Trevor cut her off. "It's Phineas, isn't it?"

"Well… yes." She admitted.

"You like him that much?"

"Since I met him." She answered. "That was eight years ago."

"That's some crush you got." He shrugged. "I can see it. He's cheerful, he smiles a lot, and he's cute in his own way I guess. But eight years? You haven't gotten tired of waiting?"

"Maybe a little. I just… I want him to notice me so badly, but I don't know what else I can do." Isabella was shocked at herself. She had only spoken about this to one person: Ferb. He had seemed to understand, but a new guy? The guy she had met only this morning was causing her to spill? Isabella didn't know what to think, so she kept her eyes on the road. Fortunately, Trevor spoke next.

"I get it," he said. "Tell you what: think about it, sleep on it, take your time. I won't ask again, but I'll be waiting for your answer."

The rest of the drive passed in uncomfortable silence.

-XXX-

Meanwhile, the Flynn-Fletcher boys had been home for several minutes, and were discussing a similar topic.

"You don't trust him?" Phineas was trying to get answers out of Ferb. It was not an easy task.

Ferb made it harder by simply nodding or shaking his head. He shook his head this time.

"Why not?" Phineas pressed.

"He's clearly a ladies' man." Ferb finally spoke.

"Yeah, so are you. What's that have to do with it?"

"I am the right kind of ladies' man." Ferb's tone sounded insulted.

"What, 'cause you're British?"

"Well, yes, and the fact that I don't actually date them. I keep my air of mystery," He raised his eyebrows and rolled his tongue.

Phineas wasn't impressed. "So, what, Trevor's the 'wrong type' of ladies' man?"

"He certainly seemed interested in Isabella to me," Ferb said, with a hint of warning in his voice. In their freshman year of high school, Phineas had come to Ferb for advice about what he was feeling for Isabella. Ferb had given him "The Book of Amorous Emotions" to read. When Phineas came back and said he hadn't gotten it, Ferb had smacked him over the head with it. Back to square one. Phineas finally realized he might be attracted to Isabella soon after, with much prodding from Ferb and another few bumps on his head.

Unfortunately, now he was too scared to tell her, and Ferb wasn't going to help him there. He had sworn secrecy to Isabella herself, and did not intend to betray her.

"What are you talking about? He didn't seem attracted to me." Phineas honestly hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary.

"That may be because you're biased to think no one likes her the way you do. She's an attractive girl, Phineas, and she's not going to wait for you forever." Ferb was, as usual, completely correct.

Phineas thought for a bit, then realized something. "Wait, did you say she was waiting for-"

Ferb was saved the necessity of explaining his slip-up by the doorbell chiming "The William Tell Overture." It had been modified by the boys with maternal permission.

Phineas sprang to open the door and let his friends in. He led them back to the sitting room, where a television-size box rested under a tarp. "Lady and Gentleman!" he announced. "May I present to you, the fabulous, stupendous, the amazing Multi-Dimensional Simulator!" Ferb whisked the tarp off at the appropriate moment, revealing a screen and four pairs of what looked like lab goggles with electrodes attached.

"It's a T.V.," Trevor stated.

"The screen's just for camouflage," Phineas explained. " The real magic happens in these babies!" He held up the goggles.

"What do they do?"

Ferb flicked a switch, and the goggles began to glow softly.

Phineas went on talking. "All that you see, or touch, or smell, or hear, is nothing more than stimulated brain neurons. Reality is just a matter of perception. These goggles manipulate that stimulation and make you see, feel, and hear what whatever you want! Of course, we will be in it together, so there will be some semblance of similarity. Ferb!" he called over his shoulder. "What do we have it set for?"

Ferb checked and responded. "Deep space."

"Well that'll give us plenty of room. Imaginations ready, everyone? Please have a seat and strap in."

"Wait, won't that restrict us?" Isabella glanced at the indicated chairs with apprehension.

"We found out it's better to be in one place when doing this." Phineas said. "The coffee table turned out to still be very capable of bruising shins. The movement doesn't matter," He continued,"it's all in your head anyway. Trust us."

"Okay," Isabella conceded.

Ferb oversaw the entrances of the first three, then strapped in and lowered his goggles to enter himself.

"This is incredible, guys!" Isabella was floating upside down and gazing in astonishment at the stars and galaxies and colors around her.

Phineas cartwheeled by. "This is nothing. Now let your imagination take over!" He stretched out his arms and a flurry of fireworks flew from his fingers.

Ferb one-upped him by letting his entire body glow bright white, then shooting into the distance at supersonic speed before teleporting back with a pop.

"It was confusing to calibrate the goggles," Phineas said from atop an asteroid statue of himself. "We didn't know how to make it so others could see what you see while also having their own seeing sensation. Does that make sense? Anyway, we pretty much settled on this configuration. You can see what other people are doing, but you can also ignore them, and your brain simply won't see it.

Suddenly thunder crashed, dark gray clouds appeared, and it began raining cats and dogs. Literally. The group turned to see Trevor holding an umbrella.

"I had an idea," he said. "Shit, I think I stepped in a poodle."

A giant whooshing sound was heard, and the clouds disappeared, to be replaced by Isabella's new vacuum cleaner the size of a house.

"Oh, no you don't." Trevor morphed his umbrella into what looked like a rifle and shot a beam of energy at the vacuum, only to be deflected by the force bubble Isabella quickly thought up.

"Space fight!" Phineas called, and just like that he was in a fully decked out spacecraft. Ferb conjured his own just in time to avoid the first laser blasts.

With the brothers occupied, Trevor turned to face Isabella, but she was already on top of him, and tacked him to the ground. Or rather, what Trevor perceived to be a ground in the cold emptiness of space. She was wearing full battle gear: helmet, body suit, hidden rocket launchers and all.

Trevor rolled his eyes. "Isabella, my father's in the military." He grabbed one of her arms and flipped her over his hip, simultaneously creating a similar battle suit around his own body. Isabella was now pinned. "I know a few things." He said in his new metallic voice.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Ferb's mega cannon had finally destroyed Phineas' ship, and the boy was now hurtling through the void, frantically trying to come up with something. He halted his flight and two large machine guns appeared in his hands. A concrete and steel bunker formed around him as he called to the others. "Hey, you two! A little help?"

It was then Isabella noticed just how close Trevor was to her. Thankfully she was wearing a mask to hide the blush on her face. She got over it, though, and kicked Trevor off of her to join Phineas.

Just then, Ferb's cannon fired again, vaporizing Phineas' structure and stripping Isabella and Trevor of their suits. The shockwave threw them all back into a heap. Phineas rushed to help Isabella, but Trevor was closer and beat him to it. There was no hiding the blush this time. Trevor had seen her face.

Phineas had seen it, too.


	5. Innocent Enough

**Piano-Man aka PhinbellaFanatic: **It's going to get worse before it gets better, but I _promise _a Phinbella ending.

Disclaimer- I don't not own nothing about Phineas and Ferb. (Except this plot)

Ch. 4 – Innocent Enough

"Shit, shit, shit! Ferb you were right he's totally into her what the hell am I gonna do what's gonna happen ya gotta help me tell me what to do!" Phineas was pacing around the bedroom he and Ferb still shared. The only big change that had happened in the last eight years was the upgrades to their beds. Custom built, of course.

Ferb was sprawled on his own bed, flipping through the newest edition of _Tools Weekly_. "My first suggestion would be to calm down. You're wearing out the rug,"

Phineas sat down and immediately began wringing his hands. "But what about Isabella what am I gonna do how am I gonna tell her what I feel I dunno what I'm gonna do about Trevor how is this-"

"Phineas." Ferb interrupted his rant. "That is not calm. Take a breath."

Phineas sucked in a huge _whoop_ of air.

Ferb waited five seconds, and then gave another command. "Now let it out,"

_Bwuhhh._ Phineas' body deflated as he pushed the air out of his lungs.

"Better?" Ferb asked.

"Better, yeah."

"Now, what are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna tell Isabella how I feel about her," Phineas confidently replied.

"Good."

"I just gotta figure out how."

The William Tell Overture rang through the house, and Phineas went back into nervous mode. His entire figure stiffened, and his eyes went wide.

"Breathe." Ferb ordered. "I'll get it."

_Whoop… bwuhhh _said Phineas.

As it turned out, Phineas shouldn't have worried at all. When Ferb answered the door, he found Irving standing outside with his ever-present camera.

"Hi, Ferb," he gushed. "Isabella said you guys made a reality simulator. Can I have a picture?"

Ferb rolled his eyes but nodded and showed the fan boy the T.V. screen and goggles.

"Oh my gosh thankyouthankyouthankyou! Say, could I get one of-"

Ferb didn't hear the rest of his sentence; he had pushed Irving back out the door.

"Okay, I'll see you guys tomorrow!" the shout was muffled, but distinguishable.

Back upstairs, Phineas had regained something resembling a regular breathing cycle.

-XXX-

Across the street, Isabella was dealing with her own conflict crisis. As soon as Trevor's dad had driven him home, Isabella had taken off for her own house. 'The less awkward time around Phineas, the better,' she thought. Now she was facedown on her bed, debating with herself about boys, of all things. Two days ago, she never would have thought she would have second guessed her affection for Phineas, and yet Trevor had waltzed into her life just hours ago and had asked her out.

It wasn't the first time she had been asked out, not by a long shot. Declining to the other guys in the school was easy for her. So why was this time different? Why was she wasting her time on a stranger from New York? What made Trevor special? The voices in her head did nothing to help.

'_He saw through you.' _ One of them said. _'He saw your affection and frustration with Phineas and called you out.'_

'_So what?' _another one, the one loyal to Phineas, presumably, shot back. _'What does that have to do with anything?'_

'_You like his confidence, don't you,' _the first one pressed. _'You like his looks, too. I know. I've seen how you watch him.'_

'_Phineas has looks,' _the other responded angrily. _'And he's more confident than anyone I've ever met!'_

'_Ah, but Phineas has yet to notice you, no?'_

Isabella was stumped. It was true. She could either wait for Phineas, possibly for a lifetime, or she could take a chance with Trevor, and maybe find out she liked him, too.

'_What could it hurt? A nice lunch to try to get to know a boy. An innocent little date, no big deal.' _That voice was soothing, persuasive. She couldn't get it out of her head. _'Just give him a chance. You never know.'_

Isabella finally broke down. 'Okay, one date. That's it, that's all it is. Innocent enough, right?'

-XXX-

The next day at school promised to be quite an ordeal for both teens.

There was another homeroom that day; to turn in the papers they had received the previous day. Phineas and Ferb were not at the front door today; Isabella found them in room 109, having what looked like an argument. Phineas was talking, and Ferb was pretty much just giving him a death glare. They both looked up as she entered. Phineas smiled as usual, and Ferb gave her a nod in greeting. She waved to both of them and took her seat. As soon as they thought she was out of earshot, they resumed their debate.

"Tell her," Ferb whispered.

"What, now?" Phineas' voice was even lower than Ferb's.

Ferb raised his eyebrows. _Yes, right now!_ His expression said.

"You, oh, but," Phineas flailed his hands as he stuttered. He then slumped in defeat. "I can't."

Ferb cocked his head to one side. _Why not?_

"I can't just go up and tell her!"

Ferb leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. _Then what do you plan on doing?_

"I… I… I don't know, something else!"

Ferb rolled his eyes meaningfully towards the door. _Well you better do it fast; here comes Trevor._

Phineas greeted Trevor weakly and buried his face in his hands.

Isabella had watched the whole escapade from two rows back, but couldn't make anything out. She had barely heard Ferb say, "Tell her," but then he hadn't talked again; only Phineas could completely read Ferb's expressions. Phineas had put on quite a show, however, flailing and gesturing as if his life depended on it. What were they discussing so secretively? What was Phineas supposed to "Tell her?" Who was "her?" Herself, Isabella? Probably, but it could have just as easily been Candace, or Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher. No, that wasn't it. Why would they be talking about them in hushed voices?

Trevor sat down next to her suddenly. She hadn't seen him come in.

"Hey," he said. Short and simple.

Isabella took a breath. _'Here we go,'_ "Hey," she said out loud. "I thought about what you asked me yesterday."

"What do you think?"

"Give me a place and time and I'll be there."


	6. The Date Debate

Disclaimer- Phineas and Ferb is not mine, but by now, your attention is.

Ch. 5 – The Date Debate

"_How about Saturday at noon? You pick the place, I don't know the town very well."_

"_Great, see you then. Oh, guess I'll have to pick you up, won't I?"_

"_It is the more embarrassing part of not having a car…"_

"_I don't mind. What's your address?"_

-XXX-

Two days. That had been two days ago, and now it was Saturday morning. Isabella was, to put it mildly, freaking out.

"Pinky, I am freaking out!"

The old Chihuahua lifted his head drowsily and yawned. He had retired from the agency a few years back, and was no longer fit to be up at eight in the morning. On the plus side, he had stopped shaking uncontrollably.

"Isa, darling, could you get the paper for me?" her mother called.

"Sure, mom!" Isabella was glad for the distraction. She hurried down the stairs and out the door. What she hadn't remembered was the fact that Phineas and Ferb had most likely already been up for an hour, tinkering and building. Even as she bent down for the paper, Phineas emerged from his garage holding a strange cylinder and wearing a swimsuit. The cylinder had a nozzle on one end and a trigger on the other, and was filled with brown goop. The swimsuit, well, the swimsuit reminded Isabella just how much good Phineas' projects had done for his muscle tone.

Phineas noticed her and hailed her with a wave. "Good morning Isabella!"

"Good morning, Phineas. Uh, whatch'a doin with that?"

Phineas hefted the gun-like object. "Peanut butter war! We made a gun for you!" He indicated a similar cylinder, this one painted pink, on the workbench in the garage.

Isabella couldn't help but smile. Peanut butter, indeed. "Not today, Phineas," she said instead of rushing over to join him.

Phineas' face fell, and the gun scraped on the ground as his arm went limp. "You're… not coming?"

Even from across the street, Isabella could see the sadness in his face, and she felt a pang in her chest. "Sorry, Phineas, I have a… I have an appointment at noon." She couldn't tell him she was going on a date; she didn't really want to believe it herself.

"Okay, I hope you have fun!" Phineas' smile bounced back just slightly slower than it had left. "See you tomorrow, Isabella!"

"Yeah, see you," she replied half-heartedly and retreated to her house, where her mother was waiting.

Phineas trudged the rest of the way to his backyard, almost running into Ferb at the gate. Ferb gave him a questioning look.

"Isabella… won't be joining us." Phineas said in response.

Ferb frowned slightly. _You should have told her._

"Yeah, whatever, I know, okay? I haven't gotten around to how, though."

"Hey! You dweebs ready to lose?" Buford was always ready for any kind of a fight; adding food made it that much better.

Phineas took a last look at Ferb, lowered his visor, and walked over to his teammate. Phineas and Buford stood off against Ferb and Baljeet on opposing ends of the Flynn-Fletcher's backyard. A timer machine in the center clicked down to a red light.

_3… 2… 1… BZZZZZZZ!_

War had begun.

-XXX-

At eleven o' clock, Isabella was reading to stay calm and keep occupied. The voices had returned, as well.

'_What are you so worried about? It's just a date, right?' _The smooth one said.

'_Yeah, a date not with Phineas!' _The other one, the one she liked to think of as being her own voice, retorted.

'_Oh, come now. You've wanted to go on a date since you got into middle school. Now you're gonna back out?'_

'_I'm not backing out,' _her voice argued. _'I'm just nervous is all. Cut me some slack!'_

The smooth voice did not say anything after that, so Isabella went back to reading.

At eleven forty-five, Isabella could take it no longer. "Mom, I'm going out!"

"Oh? _Mija_, I thought you were over at Phineas' house. Isn't that what you usually do?"

"I had other plans today," Isabella did not feel like explaining herself fully.

"Okay, then, remember to bring your phone with you."

"Mom, I'm a teenage girl. I always have my phone with me."

Isabella walked purposefully to her car and rolled down the windows, since it was such a nice day. As she backed out of her driveway, the shouts and laughter from across the street floated to her ears.

'_Just blow off this stupid date! Go have fun with your friends! With Phineas!'_ her voice yelled in her head.

'_No.' _The other one held firm. _'You made a promise. You can't ditch Trevor now.'_

The voice was right. Ignoring the sounds of fun behind her, Isabella drove off.

-XXX-

"Phineas, is there… peanut butter covering the lawn?"

Phineas glanced around him. He, Ferb, Baljeet and Buford were caked in peanut butter and licking it off of themselves. The lawn was not quite completely coated, and the famous tree had more than its fair share among its branches. Not even the side of the house had escaped the collateral damage from the battle. Phineas looked back at his mother, still inside the house. "Yes, yes there is."

"Well, I have a plate of your favorite non-fat snacks here. You can have them with your peanut butter, I suppose."

"Awesome! Thanks mom!"

"Make sure to clean all of that up before you come inside,"

"Sure, mom. Ferb?"

Ferb retrieved what appeared to be a hand vacuum and set it on the ground. After a few seconds, it hummed to life and sprayed a blue liquid across the yard, on the tree, and all over the house. The liquid dissolved the peanut butter and the hand vacuum scurried around the yard to suck it all up.

"What was that?" Baljeet asked.

"Ferb and I developed a drink to loosen the peanut butter that gets stuck to the roof of your mouth. That was basically the same thing on a bigger scale."

"Welp, no peanut butter means no Buford. Later!" Buford promptly got up and left.

"Baljeet, are you going too?" Phineas inquired.

"I am afraid so, my friends. I will return tomorrow for the next big thing!"

"Okay, then. Bye!"

The brothers, now alone, lay down on their backs and observed the clouds. Phineas couldn't stay quiet for long.

"What do you think Isabella's up to?"

-XXX-

Isabella had arrived at Trevor's house without incident and picked him up at precisely 12:01.

"So where are we going?" Trevor asked as he climbed in.

"A place at the mall," Isabella replied. "It's pretty good, and I know the manager, so we might get some free fries."

"Sounds perfect."

Isabella pulled into the parking lot of the Danville shopping center and got out, with Trevor following closely. She turned around and remembered to also lock the car.

They walked together in silence. Trevor kept his distance, not pushing to hold her hand or touch her in any way, which made Isabella feel much more relaxed.

'This is just a date,' she reminded herself. 'Try to enjoy it, instead of thinking about what could go wrong.'

Trevor held the door for her, and she smiled slightly and thanked him. Once inside, Trevor took a look around.

"What exactly are we looking for?" He questioned.

Isabella grabbed his wrist. "C'mon, this way,"

In a corner of the mall sat a very familiar stall.

"Slushy Dawg?" Trevor understandably sounded less than eager.

"It's better than it sounds, trust me. Though, it hasn't gotten much better since I first went here." She marched up to the counter, where a skinny blonde man wearing a shirt and tie with a "MANAGER" nametag was behind the register. He had a smooth, kind face, and had grown a small goatee. Isabella thought it completed his look.

"Hey, Jeremy."

Jeremy had finished college two years ago, but could not resist the call of a fast food managerial post. He had applied for the job after working for the franchise for almost five years, and had gotten the promotion about a year ago.

"Isabella! What brings you here? How was your first week of school? And, more importantly, who's your friend?"

"This is Trevor," Isabella moved aside so Jeremy could shake Trevor's hand. "He's basically the only interesting thing that happened at school."

"Welcome to Danville, Trevor. So, what can I get you guys? The usual, Isabella?"

"Yes, please!"

"How about you, Trevor?"

Trevor regarded the menu in confusion. 'Windmill Dawg?' 'Double Stick Dawg?' What did those even mean? "Uh, I'll just have what she's having,"

"Excellent choice! You two sit down, I'll bring it out to you."

Trevor found a table, but Isabella lingered.

"Need something else, Isabella?"

Isabella leaned closer. "I kinda promised him some free fries. Can you hook us up?"

Jeremy chuckled, "I got you covered."

"Thanks,"

"By the way, do you know what Phineas and Ferb are doing today?"

Isabella averted her eyes. She knew the question had more than one meaning behind it. "Peanut butter war," she answered.

Jeremy actually laughed out loud at that. "I can't believe they followed through with that! I was just kidding around!"

Isabella grinned. "Well, they did. The whole nine yards: peanut butter cannons and everything."

"And you still decided to come see me. Am I really that important to you?" It wasn't quite sarcasm, and Isabella understood what he actually meant.

"Trevor asked me to show him around town," She said, not totally lying.

"And you brought him here for lunch?"

Isabella turned around to see Trevor patiently watching them. "Yes."

"Almost like a date?"

"I… yes." Isabella accepted the situation for what it was.

"Well, good. I'm happy for you."

"You're not mad?"

"What am I gonna get mad at?" Jeremy countered. "Isabella, you have to decide what you want to do with yourself. I think it's great that you've agreed to give someone else a chance. You might like him by the end of the day!"

"Yeah," Isabella said in a distracted manner. "I might." She went over to sit across from Trevor at the table he had chosen.

"Nice guy," Trevor complimented. "How do you know him?"

"He's Phineas and Ferb's brother-in-law," Isabella replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh? They have an older sister, then?"

"Yep. Candace."

"Where do they live?"

"They have an apartment downtown,"

The topic inevitably morphed into stories of Candace's childhood hysteria and obsession with her brother's inventions.

"And every time she came back out, it'd be gone!"

"That's crazy! You have any idea what happened to them?"

"We never found out; one of the mysteries of the universe, I guess," Isabella was finding it easier and easier to talk to Trevor about her life, even if most of it settled uncomfortably around Phineas. She talked about the Fireside Girls, and Candace's brief involvement in the organization. She told him about her friends there, her family in Mexico, and of course, her dog Pinky.

In return, she listened to anecdotes about all the places Trevor had been: Hawai'i, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, everywhere his dad had been moved to for his work. He was a very good storyteller, and used his hands to get his point across as much as his words. Isabella enjoyed watching him talk.

'_Almost like Phineas,' _the voice she had identified as hers cooed in her head.

'_Shut up! We are not even thinking about him right now! Get out of here!' _The other one immediately shot down that thought. Isabella kept her attention glued to Trevor.

Trevor finished his meal first, and continued talking about how his dad had taught him to use a pistol and a rifle, how to skin a rabbit, how to make a fire without a lighter.

Jeremy eventually came with the check, and Isabella reached for her purse, but Trevor had already slapped a ten-dollar bill on the table.

"Oh, you don't have to-" She started to protest.

"Yes I do. You drove me here, so I'm paying for the food." His tone was not to be argued with.

"Thank you," Isabella said softly, and then stood up to leave.

"Have a nice day!" Jeremy called after them, to which they both responded with a wave.

The drive back to Trevor's house was much less awkward than the drive to the mall.

"I had a good time. What are you doing tomorrow?" Trevor asked.

"I thought we could hang out with Phineas and Ferb,"

"Okay, what are they doing tomorrow?"

"I don't know; that's half the fun!"

"In that case, here's my number. Call me when you can come pick me up? I have to go to evening mass with my family, though. I need to be back by five pm."

"That won't be a problem at all." Isabella navigated her car up Trevor's driveway and let him out. "Call you tomorrow!" She said and left.

On her way home, the arguing voices returned.

'_See, that wasn't so bad. You enjoyed yourself, didn't you?'_

'_You probably would have enjoyed it more with Phineas,'_

'_Phineas has yet to show interest. We can't assume he would ever ask you out,'_

'_Don't say that!'_

'_You know it's true. Face it; you have to move on, and this is the perfect opportunity.'_

'_What if Phineas does come around?'_

'_You'll have to make a choice.'_


	7. To the Extreme

Disclaimer- can we ever _really_ own anything?

Ch. 6 – To the Extreme

Phineas was a wreck that night. Isabella had declined participation in the peanut butter battle, and that itself was enough to set Phineas on edge. Now he was grappling with the idea of her "appointment." He hadn't bothered to ask her about it; it was her business. Still, he found himself insatiably curious as to what she had been doing, and why it might take precedence over her usual routine of hanging out with Ferb and himself.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, signaling an incoming message. Phineas whipped it out and flipped it open. It was from Isabella.

_Phin-_

_So sry i couldnt make it today watcha doin tom?_

_-Izzy_

Phineas felt an odd mixture of relief and suspicion. So Isabella had wanted to come over, at least: that made him feel better. He texted a response.

_Dont know yet. Will trev be coming?_

_-Phin_

Minutes passed before he got an answer

_Yes._

_-Izzy_

That made Phineas even more relaxed. Isabella had probably texted Trevor and waited for a response before texting him again.

_Cool, well have something planned._

_-Phin_

_Cant wait!_

_-Izzy_

Phineas closed his phone and allowed himself a few breaths. He could work this out. Already an idea was forming in his mind.

-XXX-

"So that's the plan. Think it'll work?"

Phineas had drawn up loose schematics for his idea for the next morning involving Isabella and Trevor, and was showing them to Ferb.

"If you had told her years ago, you wouldn't have to do this," Ferb rationalized.

"Would you quit living in the past? I'm trying to work with what I got, here."

Ferb gave him a look. _This is what you came up with? _It said.

"Well, it's not the only one, but I think it's the best one." Phineas rolled up the paper he was holding. "If you're not going along with it, fine; I don't care. This is the best way to get Isabella's trust back."

Ferb's face turned incredulous. "She already trusts you! Don't ruin it with this!" He exclaimed.

"Clearly you don't understand," Phineas said, and turned out the light to go to bed.

'_Yes,' _Ferb thought. _'Obviously _I'm _the one in the dark about all this.'_

-XXX-

Phineas was up bright and early the next morning, tinkering with his idea and slowly putting the pieces together in his mind. '_It should work… unless something goes horribly wrong. No. I won't let that happen. This _will_ go as planned.'_

Ferb entered the garage and reviewed Phineas' handiwork before staring at his brother.

"Don't give me that look," Phineas recoiled a little. "A, it's creepy, and b, nothing's gonna go wrong so stop worrying."

Ferb could only watch as Phineas arranged the devices in a semicircle in the backyard. Green, for himself, red for Phineas, pink for Isabella, blue for Baljeet, yellow for Buford, which left the black one for Trevor.

Isabella was the first one to skip over to their house. "Whatch'a doin' today guys?"

"Hey Isabella! You're not picking Trevor up?"

Isabella covered her mouth with her hands "Shit! I completely forgot!"

"No worries, Ferb can get him,"

Ferb activated the molecular teleporter and disappeared.

Isabella hurriedly dialed her phone. Thankfully Trevor picked up on the first ring.

"_Hello?"_

"Trevor! It's Isabella, I'm calling to warn you-"

"_Ferb's coming to pick me up?"_

"He's already at your house?"

"_Just showed up in my living-"_

There was a crack like thunder, and Ferb and Trevor were suddenly standing in the yard.

"-room," Trevor finished, then closed his phone. "That was not as unpleasant as I thought it was going to be."

Buford and Baljeet came running through the gate.

"What just happened?"

"Was that the day's invention blowin' up?"

"No, of course not." Phineas reassured his friends. "When the teleporter reconstructs your body, the displaced air causes a sound wave to propagate. The larger the mass, the louder the sound."

"Oh. I should have guessed," Baljeet said.

"Now that everyone's here, I can introduce you to the actual devices we'll be trying out today. Extreme Skateboards!"

"Um, Phineas, skateboarding is already an extreme sport," Baljeet observed.

"Yup, but these make it even more so. Watch." He stepped onto his board and two metal cuffs strapped his feet in place. "Sensors on the straps and in the board respond to differences in pressure." He raised his ankles, and the board rose with him. "See? Whichever way you lean, the board will follow!" He did a quick backflip in midair to demonstrate further, and show off a little bit.

"Awesome!"

"Cool!"

"I wanna try!"

One by one everyone climbed onto a board.

"Sorry, Trevor," Phineas said. "We didn't know your favorite color, so we combined all the colors we knew of in a fixed ratio and came up with black."

Trevor grinned. "Black is fine with me."

The sky was soon full of zooming skateboards and friends showing off to one another. Phineas kept his eye on one in particular, and made sure he was in position for the next phase of his scheme.

Ferb saw Phineas stop, and prayed he wasn't about to go through with what he had shown him last night.

Phineas pulled a small blue remote with a single button from his pocket. His thumb hovered over it as he contemplated the ramifications of what he was about to do. "I don't have a choice." He whispered. Overhead, his target was approaching. "I'm sorry, Isabella." His thumb lowered decisively.

-XXX-

_Shink._

Isabella was thirty feet in the air and in the middle of a ninety degree U-turn when the straps holding her feet retracted back into the board. She felt herself begin to fall.

-XXX-

Phineas was directly under Isabella and prepared to catch her, but Trevor was right behind her; she didn't fall more than five feet before she was in his arms. The board, without a rider, flew off in the last direction it had been pointed.

Phineas swore to himself and guided his board over to the gate, where Trevor was gently setting Isabella down on solid ground.

"Oh, God! Isabella, are you okay? I have no idea what happened!"

Isabella was a calm and forgiving person, but when she turned to Phineas, there was fire in her eyes and ice in her voice. "If you didn't want me here Phineas, you could have just told me."

"What? No, that's not what-"

"That could have killed me!"

"I know, and I'm sorry. I swear it won't happen again."

"No. It won't. Take me home, Trevor."

"Isabella, come on-"

"I _said: _Take me home, Trevor." With that she was gone. Trevor glanced back at Phineas, and then he was gone, too. Even Baljeet and Buford were mad.

"That could have been any one of us!"

"Yeah, man, Buford don't like riskin' his life!"

"Guys, that's not how it, now come on. I didn't…" Phineas' tone was pleading, now. It wasn't enough. The gate shut behind them, and Phineas was left staring at the ground. "That didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped."

Ferb spoke up from behind him; "You deliberately put her in mortal danger. How did you think it was going to work out?" when Phineas didn't answer, he continued. "Sometimes, bigger is better, but there is such thing as taking it too far. This time, you took it too far."

Phineas quickly got irritated. "If you're not gonna say anything helpful, just… stay away from me right now, okay?" He stormed into the house, smashing the remote against the workbench as he went.

Ferb stared after him, then got to work cleaning up.

-XXX-

Phineas entered his bedroom, slammed the door, and collapsed on his bed. 'What have I done?' he screamed inside his head. In a matter of fifteen minutes, he had driven away the object of his affection, angered the rest of his friends, and alienated his brother. Based on those facts, his next thought was not unexpected.

"God, I fucked up,"


	8. A Disturbing Dream

Disclaimer- I lost the custody battle for the rights to Phineas and Ferb.

**PianoMan5:** I agree, he was, but I tried to think of what a boy who was in danger of losing a girl he liked would do, and the first thing that came to mind was "impress her." Blow that up to Phineas scale, and we have a hero complex. Also, Isabella has two choices to place blame for the accident on, and Ferb was nowhere near her.

Ch. 7 – A Disturbing Dream

Phineas skipped lunch and finished the first bit of homework his teachers had assigned with ease. He was putting his books away when there was a knock on the door and Ferb let himself in. He regarded his brother briefly before going to his own desk. Neither said a word.

To shield himself from the temptation of talking about what he had done, Phineas plugged his headphones into the music player he had designed a while back, turned the volume up, and closed his eyes.

-XXX-

Isabella drove Trevor home, then withdrew to her bedroom to reflect on what had happened.

'How could Phineas do that?' She asked herself.

'_Don't be silly, it was just a mistake.' _"Her" voice said.

The smooth one countered easily: _"Right. A mistake Phineas has never made, that only happened to your board, and, oh yeah, the fact that he was conveniently directly under you when you fell._

'_Phineas would never intentionally hurt me!'_

'_And yet…' _There was no need for the voice to finish; Isabella knew what it was going to say. And yet Phineas had supposedly put her in mortal danger.

'_Wait a second. You don't even know Phineas' side of the story. What if he-' _the other voice tried to reason, but was cut off.

'_What if he didn't try to kill you? Please. You're thinking about talking to the guy who just tricked you into falling off a skateboard?'_

'_Phineas is my friend!'_ Her voice insisted.

'_The friend you just angrily left for what he did to you.'_

'_I was… angry and confused. I didn't mean it.'_

'_Sure. Just like he didn't mean for you to fall to your doom.'_

Isabella buried her face in her pillows and began to sob softly.

-XXX-

"So what did you boys do today? You finished awful early," Their mother questioned them as they sat down at the kitchen table for dinner.

The boys looked at each other, not knowing how exactly to answer. Phineas came up with something first. "We had homework we needed to finish,"

"Oh, good for you, keep on top of that." Lawrence said. "You boys have a bright future ahead of you."

"Thanks, dad."

"Oh, yes, you children are going to do great things in this world. I can feel it."

"Well, let's see them survive this year, first," their mother said with a smile.

Phineas finished his dinner and excused himself to his room. Ferb followed him silently.

"I don't wanna talk, Ferb."

Ferb held up his open palms and sat down on his bed to read a book.

Phineas himself went straight to his own bed and returned to his music. He tried not to think about the fact that he would need to see Isabella in school the next day. Since that morning, he had reviewed his decisions and actions again and again in his head. He felt guiltier each time he thought about it, until his throat tasted like bile and his stomach twisted into knots. Sleep did not come easy, nor did it provide any relief.

~XXX~

Phineas was back in his yard, pleading to Isabella. When she turned around, though, her eyes were made of fire, and her voice of ice.

"_How could you?" _ She shouted. "_How could you do that to me?"_

"I'm sorry," Phineas begged. "I didn't mean to!"

Isabella either wasn't listening, or didn't hear him. "_You fucking bastard! You nearly killed me!"_

"No, please, that's not what I meant to do!" Phineas' voice dropped to a whisper, and Isabella's image overpowered him, growing as it advanced.

"_Bastard! Fucker! Dipshit! Why the fuck would you do that? I hate you!"_

"Don't say that. Isabella, please don't say that." Phineas was nearly in tears now, but the Isabella apparition did not let up.

"_I hate you, Phineas Flynn! I fucking hate you! I wish you would go die!"_

"Isabella… no…" Phineas reached out to her, to try to comfort himself, to try to keep her from leaving.

"_Get off me!" _She screamed, and smacked his hand away. She then began to glow brighter and brighter; Phineas had to shield his eyes before long, and heard someone calling him from far away.

~XXX~

"Phineas! Phineas, wake up, dammit!" Ferb's relentless shaking and hushed voice were the first things Phineas consciously experienced. Then came the flashlight in his face.

"Ack!" Phineas recoiled. "Ferb?"

Ferb said nothing, but gave him a questioning glare that was not to be ignored.

Phineas didn't meet his eye at first. "Did I wake you up?"

A single nod answered him, barely visible in the early morning light.

"Sorry," Phineas said no more, and his gaze remained averted. Ferb inferred what he needed to and put a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder. He knew Phineas would tell him in his own time.

Phineas yielded to the hand on his shoulder and leaned into Ferb for support, crying softly.

"I'm losing her. I don't want to lose her,"

Ferb didn't respond.


	9. Some Small Comfort

Disclaimer- Phineas and Ferb is not even slightly mine.

I am so sorry for this. I've been somewhat stressed with classes and all, so I probably won't be able to update weekly, but I'll do what I can. Thanks for bearing with me!

- Alun

Ch. 8 – Some Small Comfort

The next morning was a Monday, and therefore a school day. Phineas dragged himself out of bed, losing to his alarm for the first time in a while. He hadn't even been sleeping. He hadn't slept since his dream, and had lain in bed until the alarm rang. He delayed getting up as long as he thought he could, dreading what he would have to face that day.

He went through his normal morning routine as if in a trance, his mind on a completely different plane from his body. He was thinking about what to say to Isabella. Nothing sounded quite right; nothing he could think of fully expressed what he was feeling. Guilt, of course, but also a combination of nerves, fear, and dread. Needless to say, going to school was not high on Phineas' "want-to-do" list. But he had a mess to clean up, so he was going to have to suck it up. He grabbed hold of Ferb's shoulder and braced himself for total molecular deconstruction.

-XXX-

Isabella pulled neatly into her parking space at the school on autopilot. Her mind, too, was a maelstrom of emotion. First and foremost was a quiet, determined anger. She thought she might have trouble keeping herself in check today; thank god they didn't have homeroom.

As she approached her locker, she chastised herself for underestimating Phineas. There he was, waiting for her.

"Good morning, Isabella," He said evenly, once she got close enough.

"Hello, Phineas."

It wasn't the fact that she hadn't looked at him that scared him. It wasn't even the metal door being swung into his face. It was the way she said his name, as if it were something she would rather throw away and not have to look at ever again, that made him cringe.

He gulped. "I need to talk to you."

No answer. He took that as a sign to continue. "Isabella, I'm sorry for what I did. Really. I never meant to put you in that kind of danger, and I realize I shouldn't have. I- ah…" He couldn't think of anything else to say.

Isabella had remained quiet and still, listening. When she spoke, her voice was soft. "Phineas, if you have nothing of value to say, I think it's best you don't speak to me right now."

Phineas' jaw clenched, but he nodded and went on his way.

Isabella exhaled, and shut her locker with more force than necessary. She didn't like the direction the situation seemed to be heading in, and especially didn't like the way she felt toward Phineas at the moment. She figured there was nothing to be done about it and went through the rest of the day as normally as she could.

-XXX-

Trevor caught up with Isabella as they were both leaving the building.

"Hey, how's it going?"

Isabella wasn't quite in the mood for small talk. "I feel like shit. I can't decide how to feel about Phineas, my stomach is turning over, and I'm pretty sure I failed that goddammed intro quiz second period because I couldn't concentrate."

"Seems like this is all stemming from yesterday, huh?"

"Duh. I mean, I know he didn't really want me dead, but the fact that he would even think about doing it… it just isn't like him."

Trevor had to pause for a moment before answering. "I wish I knew what to tell you, and I really wish I could talk to you some more, but that's my dad waving at me, over there."

"Oh, right. Well, see you tomorrow, then."

"Hopefully you'll feel better by then, eh?"

"Mmm. Maybe." Isabella turned to go.

-XXX-

Phineas and Ferb appeared with a _crack_ in their backyard. Phineas collapsed to his knees, and then fell down the rest of the way. Ferb stood over him and looked down.

"How was your day?" He remarked.

Phineas groaned. "Fukkit all. I don't know. I just… I really fucked up, y'know?"

Ferb didn't nod. He didn't need to. Phineas went on, knowing that he had understood.

"I messed up telling her how I feel, I messed up noticing Trevor liking her, I really messed up the backup plan, and now I've messed up apologizing to her for it. Have I missed anything?"

It was a rhetorical question, but Ferb felt the need to answer anyway. "You missed her hints when we were little kids,"

"Yes, thank you for not helping at all. I guess my next question is, now what?"

Ferb offered his hand. Phineas took it and heaved himself to his feet.

"Just that," Ferb answered. "When you find your self on your back, get up again. It's who you are."

Phineas had to smile at that. "Thanks, bro. Are you gonna be the one repeatedly picking me up?"

Ferb just gave him a look._ If I have to._

Phineas smirked and led the way into the house.

-XXX-

Usually, when Isabella was frustrated or depressed, her mother would do her best to talk to her. Since Isabella was both, it didn't take long for her mother to catch on to her feelings. As soon as Isabella walked through her door, the questions flowed.

"How was your day, sweetie?"

"Mhn, okay,"

"Sure? You want to talk about it?"

"No, not really,"

"I know that tone of voice, Isa. What's wrong?" Her mother asked a little more forcefully.

Isabella had no energy to argue anymore. "It's Phineas," she admitted.

"It usually is, but you're not usually this, uh…depressed about him"

"I'm not depressed," Isabella answered. "I'm just confused. I have some mixed feelings about some… actions of his,"

"Oh, my! That doesn't sound like Phineas!"

"That's just the thing, though! That's why I'm so confused! He's never done anything like this, and I don't know what to think!" Isabella started to breath heavily.

Her mother listened patiently, and then added something. "That's not all, is it?"

Isabella took a deep breath. "No, there is something else. Trevor asked me on a date a while ago…"

"You mean two days ago?"

"Uhh… yeah, I guess. It feels like longer. Anyway, now I'm conflicted there, too. I've been going after Phineas for so long, I just… I don't know what to do." Isabella put her head in her hands as she sat down at the kitchen table.

Vivian walked around to hug her daughter. "Well, sweetie, I don't quite know what to tell you. You're going to have to decide for yourself what you want. Just know that I'm here for you, when you need me."

"Thanks, mom. You really know how to make me feel better."

"Oh, that's nothing, sweetie. Nothing cheers people up like food! How about some homemade after-school soup?" Vivian placed a steaming bowl in front of Isabella.

Isabella couldn't help but smile at that.


	10. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Disclaimer- I own the computer I'm writing this on, but not much else…

To all you die-hard Phinbella fans out there (believe me I'm one of 'em), I'm sorry in advance for what must be written.

Ch. 9 – One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Phineas scrambled up to his bedroom to finish his homework as quickly as he could. He wasn't going to let something like his best friend refusing to talk to him slow him down for long. Ferb followed him, a small smile on his face. He was glad Phineas had recovered quickly.

The brothers blazed through the math and science review their teachers had assigned them, and got to work on their English project of documenting the things they had done last summer. Three pages weren't going to be enough.

Phineas kept unusually quiet while he worked. His mind was still on what he was going to do about Isabella. The "impress the girl" scheme clearly hadn't worked. The only other option he could see was to tell her how he felt, but he was more hesitant about this than ever. Isabella clearly had an interest in Trevor; it would be awkward for him to tell her now. At least, that's what he thought.

-XXX-

Isabella, of course, had her own thoughts on the subject.

"Its nice that he apologized but was he doing that because he thought it was the right thing to do, or did he want to talk to me more he sounded like he wanted to say something but I was just so mad at him oh I hope I didn't drive him away and now I think I like Trevor too and I don't know what Phineas thinks about that he didn't seem jealous he never does, but what if he is does that mean he likes me but even if he does what do I tell Trevor oh I wish this had never happened!"

Isabella threw her arms in the air to complete the rant.

Well, there wasn't much she could do about it at the moment, so she decided she needed some outside advice. Isabella pulled out her phone and hit her number two on speed dial.

After a few rings, her childhood friend picked up.

"_What's happenin', chief?_"

Isabella smiled. She and her friends had grown out of the Fireside Girl troop years ago, but they insisted on calling her their fearless leader. "Hi, Gretchen. I just need someone to talk to. You know that new kid at school, right?"

"_Trent? Yeah, I've seen him. Why?"_

"Well, his name's Trevor, but that's not important. I went out with him last weekend-"

"_Whoa, hold up, chief. You went out with him? Like a date?"_

"Yeah, but-"

"_You gotta give me the details, girl! How was he? What'd you do?"_

"Lunch. But Gretchen, I-"

"_Good for you. We've been saying it was time you moved on from Phineas; we all though you were a little obsessed…"_

"That's the thing!" Isabella barely contained her shout. "I don't know if I've moved on from Phineas or not!"

There was silence on the other end of the line as Gretchen pondered this.

"_Then… why'd you go on a date with him?"_

"I thought I could at least give him a chance, but now I'm confused. What if Phineas really likes me, and I'm going out with another guy?"

"_You can't worry about that your entire life, Isabella. I, for one, think you should take this opportunity for what it's worth. Did you enjoy the date?"_

Isabella thought for only a moment. "Yes, I suppose I did,"

"_Then what are you waiting for? Go for it!"_

Isabella was silent for a while. Gretchen and the voices in her head were saying basically the same thing: give Phineas a break and go out with someone new.

So why not?

-XXX-

The next week was hard on Phineas. He went through the days with less energy than usual. He had read somewhere in Ferb's book about "emotional fatigue" and supposed that pretty much summed up how he felt. He thought about Isabella constantly now, which inevitably led to thinking about her current relationship with Trevor, as well.

Unfortunately, even the growing workload their teachers were assigning did not give Phineas any reprieve or distraction from his musings. He completed the problems almost subconsciously, leaving plenty of room in his brain for thoughts about the girl he wanted to be his.

The hardest part of the day was lunch, where the group was together, and Phineas could see Isabella and Trevor as a couple. His smile remained plastered on his face, but for the first time in his life, he had to force the muscles into position. He let the others do most of the talking, and kept his own thoughts to himself.

Ferb seemed to be the only one to notice his change in demeanor, but of course he didn't say a word about it in front of their friends. Behind his stoic expression, Ferb was genuinely worried about what Phineas might do next. Emotional strain had tampered with the inventor's mind and body, and Ferb certainly didn't want any repeats of the skateboard incident.

However, Phineas hadn't had any new plans, or even new ideas for inventions for a week. Every day when he got home from school, he dashed up to his room to do his homework, his fake cheerfulness gone. He stayed in the bedroom, staring at an open book until dinner was called.

After eating half of what he used to, Phineas went right back upstairs, flopped down on his bed, and turned his music volume up.

Ferb hated to see his brother act like this, and by the end of the week he had had enough. He stopped Phineas in the middle of his brooding with a hand on his shoulder and a look in his eye. Phineas had no choice but to turn and face him.

Neither said anything for a while, but the message was clear.

"You're right, Ferb," Phineas said shakily. He held his head in his hands in an effort to keep from breaking down. "I'm… I'm gonna go for a walk."

It wasn't what Ferb had hoped, but it was better than nothing.

-XXX-

The evening air felt good on Phineas' skin, like it was refreshing and rejuvenating him, washing away the worries he had had all week. He turned down the street and began meandering toward… well, he didn't know where, but he knew he'd get there eventually. He took deep breaths and slow steps, savoring the relaxation he suddenly felt. He even took time to look around at the houses in his neighborhood. He had never given any real thought to them; they had always been a backdrop for whatever he and his brother had planned for the day.

Phineas walked on, his strides becoming more confident with each step. By the time he got to the park, he was practically bouncing with the spring in his step. His smile returned without him noticing, securing his positive mentality after a gloomy week.

The park was virtually empty, but Phineas didn't mind. As much as he liked to be around people such as his friends and family, he had to admit, this walk he had undertaken on his own had done more to cheer him up than anything else within recent memory.

The sun was just about to set, and Phineas was ready to turn home and declare his excursion a success, when he saw a familiar pair of heads sitting on a bench not too far away. Isabella and Trevor had apparently had the same idea Phineas had and gone for a walk through the town, resting in the park.

Phineas stopped and watched them for a bit, even though his brain was urging him on. He didn't want to be reminded of his failure, and yet he couldn't turn away. The couple inched closer to each other, and the closer they got, the faster Phineas' heart beat, and the shouts in his head became increasingly urgent. Even so, he could only stand there, frozen by the creeping horror of what he was witnessing.

Their kiss was framed perfectly by the setting sun; all Phineas could see were their silhouettes. It would have been romantic if Phineas hadn't been pining for the young woman involved. As it was, the poor confused boy felt all the depression and guilt from the past week come rushing back to him in a huge swoop of emotion.

The barrage of feelings suddenly unfroze his muscles, and he did what his brain had been begging him to do for what seemed like forever.

He turned and ran.


	11. Here We Go Again

Disclaimer- If I owned Phineas and Ferb, I wouldn't have to write fan fiction about them.

Chapter 10 – Here We Go Again

Isabella's lips were still tingling when she pulled away from Trevor and opened her eyes. He was smiling back at her, and he stared at her for a minute before standing up and helping her to her feet as well.

"It's getting late. I'll walk you home,"

Isabella was all too happy to oblige him.

-XXX-

Phineas burst through his bedroom door with a sound akin to cannon fire, scaring the living daylights out of the usually un-faze-able Ferb. He was panting, and had a wild look in his eyes. His mouth tried to make noise, but all Ferb could hear was garbled letters that made no sense. He got up and put a hand on Phineas' shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

Phineas' breathing slowed, and the adrenaline in his system began to wear off. As soon as that happened though, his mind went right back to what he had seen. He slid down the door; his legs refused to hold him up any longer.

"You were right Ferb," The words were slightly muffled due to the hands covering his face. "I should have told her a long time ago."

Ferb didn't know what had gotten Phineas in such a state, but be sure as hell could guess. Unfortunately, the best he could do for the moment was to offer his presence. It was going to be a long night.

-XXX-

At Isabella's doorstep, Trevor received another quick kiss goodnight before he left.

Isabella herself charged up the stairs to her room and shut the door with just a little more force than was necessary.

"Oy, Isa! Not so loud!" her mother called.

"Sorry, mom!" Isabella was so excited she couldn't have helped it if she tried. She fumbled for her phone and jammed her finger to the proper button. In seconds, Gretchen was on the other line.

"_Sup, chief?"_

Isabella did her best to steady her voice. "Trevor took me on a date tonight."

"_Yeah…?"_

"And we walked through the park at sunset."

"_Get to the point, Isabella!" _Gretchen thought she knew what was coming next.

"And he may or may not have… kissed me." Isabella said the last bit quieter than the rest, as if she couldn't believe it had actually happened.

Gretchen squealed, and the only reason Isabella did not have to hold the phone away from her ear was that she made a similar sound.

"_That's awesome! I'm so happy for you! Wait, does this mean this was your first kiss?"_

Isabella frowned. She did not like to be reminded of the fact that it had taken her until her senior year to kiss a boy.

Gretchen noticed her pause and realized her mistake. "_Oh, come on, chief, I know you were just waiting for the right guy. You should be happy!"_

"Yeah, I am, " Isabella said half-heartedly.

"_Oh, no. I know that voice. Are you still thinking about Phineas?"_

Isabella's silence was answer enough.

"_Dammit, girl, you're never gonna be happy if you keep holding on to him," _Gretchen scolded. "_Are you happy with Trevor?"_

No response.

"_Are you happy with Trevor!" _Gretchen repeated.

The volume and tone of her friend's voice startled Isabella into answering. "Yes!"

"_So what are you worried about?"_

-XXX-

**Sorry for the short chapter, but this is more of a transition to what I want to do in the next chapter…**


	12. Thank God it's the Weekend

Disclaimer- No, I don't own Phineas and Ferb, but thanks for checking.

Chapter 11 – Thank God it's the Weekend

The alarm that went off at seven in the morning sounded like an air raid siren to Phineas. He wasn't nearly ready to face the day yet, and for the first time in his life, he silenced his clock, and fell back onto his bed. He was exhausted from last night, both emotionally and physically. The last thing he wanted to do was get out of bed.

Ferb woke up beside him and immediately garnered that his brother wasn't in the mood to talk. The green-haired boy shrugged and went downstairs for some breakfast.

Fifteen minutes later, Ferb had finished eating, and Phineas had not made an appearance. As much as Ferb was worried about his brother, he knew he had stuff to sort out on his own. He would come around when he was ready; Ferb could only hope it would be soon.

He decided to go about a normal day's activity, which included a copy of a good book and an old oak tree in the backyard.

-XXX-

He was peacefully reading when Isabella and Trevor walking through the gate, holding hands. Ferb repressed a cringe and instead greeted them with a wave.

"Hey, Ferb! What'cha doin' today? And where's Phineas?"

Ferb jabbed a finger toward the house, where Phineas presumably still was.

"He's not even up yet?" Isabella's surprise was understandable, given her knowledge of the situation.

Ferb shrugged. He didn't look Isabella in the eye, but went back to reading his book.

"Oh kaay… do you think I could go talk to him?"

Another shrug.

"…Well, I'm gonna go in to talk to him."

Ferb waved her away absentmindedly.

"You want me to come with?" Trevor asked, causing Ferb to tighten his jaw.

Isabella laughed, "I think I'll be okay, thanks." She left Trevor alone outside with Ferb.

Neither one was particularly happy with the arrangement. Ferb did his best to completely ignore Trevor, leaving Trevor to awkwardly shuffle his feet in the grass.

-XXX-

Isabella entered the house with only slight trepidation. She had every reason to be suspicious of the fact that Phineas had not yet arisen today. She made her way up the stairs and paused at Phineas and Ferb's room. She didn't here anything coming from inside and knocked softly on the door.

"Phineas? You there?"

Phineas' head could not have snapped up faster if an electric shock had stimulated his muscles. He scrambled out of his bed, almost tripping over his sheets and falling to the floor. "Just a minute!" he called. He rushed to dress himself, not bothering with brushing his hair or teeth.

Less than a minute later, as promised, Phineas opened the door for Isabella. His hair was even messier than usual, his clothes were wrinkled, and his eyes were slightly bloodshot from the crying to which he would never admit.

Isabella bypassed these things and cut straight to the heart of the matter. "Why aren't you up yet? Do you have any idea what time it is? You're burning daylight!" She quoted him.

Phineas looked back at her steadily and shook his head. "Didn't feel like it today."

"Didn't feel like what?" Isabella demanded.

"Anything," Phineas turned around and sat down on his unmade bed.

Isabella couldn't believe it. This was not the Phineas she… knew. She folded her arms and approached him. "What about seizing the day? What are you gonna do to make this the best day ever?"

Phineas didn't turn around; he just shrugged.

Isabella's eyes widened. Something was very wrong with Phineas today. It was time to change tactics. She sat down next to him and adopted a softer voice. "Phineas? What's wrong?'

She didn't get an answer, but even though he was facing away from her, she noticed his jaw clench.

"C'mon, tell me." She playfully nudged him, but he stood up quickly and repositioned himself near the window.

Isabella recoiled. She had never seen Phineas act so rudely, especially toward her, but she wasn't going to tolerate it. "Fine," she stood up, but moved toward the door instead of the window. "If you're going to be like that… fine."

'_Idiot!' _Phineas screamed inside his head. _'You've spent a week worrying about her, and now you're gonna let her go? Man up, ya pussy!'_

"Isabella,"

She stopped at the doorframe, wanting nothing more than to just keep walking, but she couldn't let herself leave. Not just yet.

Phineas continued, talking to the window. "It's you, Isabella. I… I… goddammit please don't hate me. I just… couldn't tell you sooner."

Isabella turned halfway back around, interested.

"I guess… I was scared to lose you as a friend. I was scared of what you'd think of me."

"What are you talking about, Phineas?"

Phineas didn't turn around; after all that had happened between the two of them, he couldn't bear to see her face when he actually said it. "I think I love you, Isabella."

-XXX-

It might have been fifteen seconds or fifteen minutes, but it felt like an eternity to Phineas. The silence following his confession was the loudest he had ever heard, and he longed to break it, to run away, to do something, anything. But he didn't. He just waited.

Thankfully, this eternity had an end: Isabella swallowed, "Okay," she said, almost inaudibly. She then turned to leave.


	13. Out of the Bag

Disclaimer- Frankly, my dear, I don't own a damn thing.

Ch. 12 – Out of the Bag

Isabella went downstairs, but she didn't go outside. She didn't want to look at Trevor right now. She plopped herself down on the couch facing away from the backyard to think. Why was she feeling like this? For that matter, what exactly did she feel? Did she still have feelings for Phineas? And, if so, how would she tell Trevor about it?

-XXX-

Phineas struggled to keep himself in check. 'Okay? Okay!?' That's all she had to say about it? Just 'okay?' He closed his eyes and employed a calming technique Ferb had taught him. He didn't want to be angry with Isabella right now; they both had a lot to think about.

He had to admit, though, the fact that he had told her lightened his spirits somewhat. It was by no means substantial, but it was something. It felt as if a toxin had been removed from his body and he could breathe again. Now all he had to do was deal with the fact that the girl he had just confessed his love to was in a relationship with another guy.

No problem.

-XXX-

Trevor shifted his weight awkwardly from foot to foot. The green-haired boy in front of him had shot down any and all attempts at conversation, and Trevor was getting bored of waiting. While he trusted Isabella, he also wasn't stupid. He knew she had had feelings for the boy in question, and that she very well could go back to him at any moment.

He was relieved Isabella came out alone, and rushed over to her.

"So? What happened?" He said, doing his best to keep his voice level.

Isabella looked past him to Ferb, who hadn't moved. "I take it the conversation out here wasn't too stimulating?"

Trevor groaned, "Tell me about it. He won't _not _shut up." The fact that Isabella had avoided his question did not escape his notice, but he would address that later.

Isabella forced a giggle. "Well, it doesn't look like these two are doing much today. Lets go back to my place. Bye Ferb!" She waved toward the tree Ferb was sitting under.

Ferb did not answer, did not wave back, but he did look up from his book. His eyes looked the same; his expression was no different from anything else Isabella had seen on his face, but there was something else, something she couldn't place. She didn't like the way he blinked at her, as if he knew exactly what had happened and was ashamed of her for it.

Of course, she had no proof Ferb didn't know what had happened, which was, she thought, entirely possible. Ferb had always been the perceptive one. She decided not to think about it and followed her boyfriend out the gate.

Ferb sighed before closing his book. He didn't know what exactly the two had talked about, but he figured he should check on Phineas anyway.

-XXX-

He found his brother mumbling to the window in their bedroom, lost in thought. He stopped when he heard the door close and turned to see his brother. Ferb didn't move, but Phineas understood the silent question.

"I told her, Ferb. I finally told her."

Silence.

"You wanna know what she said?"

More silence.

"She said 'okay.' That's it. Just 'okay.'" His voice was empty and toneless.

There was nothing Ferb could do to help the poor boy, no matter how much he wished he could. So he did the best thing he could think of; he offered his presence to his brother.

Suddenly Phineas turned around with a big fake smile on his face. "But hey! The day's still young. What do you wanna do today, Ferb?"

What Ferb really wanted to do was get Phineas together with Isabella, but he couldn't tell his brother that. He would have to let events play out on their own. So he shrugged to answer Phineas' question.

Phineas' smile dimmed, and he slouched back on to his bed. "I don't know, either. I haven't had any new ideas for the past week. I just… gah, I don't know."

-XXX-

Isabella did not tell Trevor what she and Phineas had discussed, of course, and he did not ask. He did his best to forget that they had even gone over to the house across the street, and to ignore Isabella's sudden silence.

Isabella herself was battling her brain, and doing a very good job of keeping it hidden. She knew she should talk to Trevor, but she couldn't bring herself to actually say anything. She was scared of his reaction.

'Dammit, Phineas,' She thought to herself. 'You just had to pick now to tell me, didn't you?'

Now she had two boys vying for her affection. While any other girl might appreciate the attention, Isabella knew she had to make a choice, and that meant breaking someone's heart.

She gritted her teeth and held back a frustrated scream. 'If only this hadn't happened!' She thought for a second time.

Isabella's train of thought ground to a halt. What if she made it so that it _hadn't _actually happened? As far as she knew, the time machine was still at the Danville Museum, and she knew how to operate it. How hard could it be to hop back a few weeks and prevent this whole fiasco?

She vaguely remembered something about a warning of some sort Candace had told the boys about messing with the future, and dismissed it. This was the past she was fixing, not the future. Besides, how much difference could two little weeks make?

When Isabella turned back to Trevor, she had a smile on her face. She knew what she was doing tomorrow.


	14. Time to End This

Disclaimer- My agent told my people to tell your people that I don't own Phineas and Ferb. Or an agent.

Chapter 13 – Time to End This

Isabella woke up the next morning refreshed and ready. She was going to put all of this mess behind her; after today, she would be happily dating Phineas and the past week would be a distant memory.

She hurried through her morning routine and wolfed down some breakfast before dashing out the door. She didn't even notice Phineas and Ferb tinkering with something in their garage.

Isabella reached the museum in record time, and allowed herself to rest and compose herself before going inside. She knew exactly where she was going; the time machine hadn't moved since she had last seen it. Why should it? The only ones who knew it worked were herself and the Flynn-Fletchers.

She climbed in and cracked her knuckles. Now the only thing she needed was a where, no, a when, to go.

"The day it all started; the first day of school," she said to herself, and pulled the lever.

* * *

When Isabella landed, things didn't look too much different, thankfully. She hopped out of the machine and started to head toward the school. "Ugh, I should've brought my bike, too."

She arrived earlier than she expected; the first morning bell had just finished ringing, and the horde of students outside the front doors made its way inside. Isabella joined the crowd, hoping not to attract too much attention. She just needed a few minutes with Phineas…

"Hey, chief, I thought you were up with Phineas?"

Isabella started at the sudden interruption. She turned to see Katie, another one of her Fireside friends, beside her.

"Oh, uh, hi, Katie. Actually, I just got here," she said, not completely lying.

"What? But I thought I saw you-"

"Nope!" Isabella interrupted quickly. "Just got here!" She insisted.

"Okay then, why aren't you catching up with Phineas?"

Isabella mentally stumbled. If she caught up with Phineas in homeroom, there would be two of her in the same place. While not a cosmic problem, the scenario would certainly raise suspicion. She needed to get Phineas alone, or at least away from herself, so she could talk to him.

She tried to think of a time that day where she had been away from Phineas for any period, and drew a blank. Five minutes hadn't passed that she was apart from Phineas that day. Did she really feel for him that strongly?

'_Never mind that now! What are you gonna do?' _The voices were right. She couldn't go into the school today; She couldn't hide out in the halls all day and she couldn't talk to Phineas without herself or Trevor being present as well. She needed to rethink this entire operation.

"Uhh, hello? Earth to Isabella!"

Isabella snapped back to Katie's hand in her face. "What? Oh, sorry Katie gotta go bye!" With that she dashed off back to the Danville museum, leaving a very confused Katie in her wake.

* * *

Isabella arrived back at the museum out of breath. Did she really need to run everywhere today? She wasn't saving any time by doing so, she reasoned.

In any case, an entirely new plan was required. She thought back carefully to those first few days of school. What had she done?

That first day, Trevor had shown up, and Isabella had eaten lunch with him before going to Phineas' house to distort reality where Trevor had asked her out. Maybe she could talk to Phineas then? What would she say? 'Trevor asked me out and since you haven't noticed me I'm going to say yes?' Yeah, that didn't even sound good in her head.

At this rate, she might as well just tell Phineas she was dating Trevor already. God, what had she gotten herself into?

Isabella put her head in her hands and thought hard. If she told Phineas that evening that she would say no to Trevor, and her doppelganger said yes the following morning, not only would Phineas be devastated, but his trust in her would also virtually disappear. Maybe she could just say she hadn't decided yet. That was true, right? That would work.

She cranked the lever.

* * *

Isabella arrived at Phineas and Ferb's house just as Irving finished shouting something and turned to leave. She strode to the door quickly and knocked three times. Ferb answered within seconds.

"Hi Ferb, is Phineas home?" Isabella knew the answer, of course.

Ferb tilted his head. By his reckoning, Isabella had just left his house. What reason could she have for coming back? Well, she was here now; there was no use in being rude to her. He ushered her inside.

"Thanks. Is he in his room?"

Ferb nodded slowly. He was fully aware that Phineas might actually have a panic attack upon seeing Isabella in his current state, and therefore reluctant to let Isabella pass.

Isabella had other ideas. She pushed past the green-haired man of action and made her way up the stairs. She knocked on the boy's bedroom door.

"Ferb? That you?" said a voice from the other side.

"I need to talk to you, Phineas," Isabella replied. She heard a series of strange noises that sounded like a bellows being misused before the door actually opened and Phineas poked his nose out.

"W-what do you need to talk about?" Phineas caught Ferb's eye over Isabella's shoulder, and the British boy shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn't know.

"Can I come in?"

Phineas opened the door fully, allowing access to both his brother and best friend. Isabella sat herself on Phineas' bed while Ferb stood by the door like a sentry. Phineas himself shifted awkwardly in front of Isabella, waiting for her to speak.

She took a breath and paused. She knew now what this information might do to him, and judging by the way he was moving, he was already unstable. She had made a decision, though, and was not about to go back on it. "Phineas, Trevor sort of… um, asked me out." She glanced up to gauge his reaction.

Phineas had frozen, his hands and neck tensed. He looked like he was trying to swallow but couldn't. Behind her, Ferb's eyes had widened just a smidge. She gulped and spat the rest of it out. "I haven't quite decided yet if I'm going, but I think I might."

Phineas blinked twice, and tried to remember how to breathe. '_Stupid,' _he told himself. '_You knew this was going to happen.' _He did his best to keep a straight face, and wondered if he succeeded. "Oka- ahem, okay." He said shakily, aware of his brother's stare.

"You alright?" Isabella asked, concerned. She knew how she would feel if Phineas had agreed to a date with another girl; she could only assume he was going through something similar.

He put on a smile though, and stood up a little straighter. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm happy for you, Isabella."

"You are?" Isabella was taken aback. This was not the reaction she had expected.

"Sure: you haven't had a boyfriend in what? A few years?" He thought about that for a moment. "Have you ever had a boyfriend?" Isabella's averted eyes answered him plainly enough. "Well, I think he'll be good for you. I hope he makes you happy."

Isabella's mouth fell slightly open. "Umm, thanks? But Phineas, aren't you, I dunno, like, disappointed or something?"

Phineas gave a nervous laugh that he tried to cover up with a cough. "Why, uh… would you think that?" He ignored Ferb's glare.

Isabella was confused. Phineas should be heartbroken, or depressed, or something. He loved her, didn't he? He was going to tell her in a few days. Why was he acting like this didn't affect him?

'_He can't tell you now; you just agreed to date another guy!' _Oh, great, the voices again. Still, they might be right. Phineas was almost too polite for his own good; if Isabella chose to date someone else, he would probably support her, even if it crushed him.

No matter which way she looked at it, Isabella only saw one outcome: she would have to date Trevor.

* * *

The walk back to the time machine was not one Isabella ever wanted to repeat. Her thoughts about the situation felt like a sickness in her brain, not to mention what she would be going forward to. There was no way she could be happy with this, knowing Phineas' feelings and still not being able to do anything about them.

She sat in the machine for a while, wondering what in her future, or present rather, had changed. "Only one way to find out, I guess," she said and pulled the lever.

Well, nothing was on fire. That was a good sign, right? Isabella strode down her street until she reached the house she was so familiar with. Nothing seemed to have changed. There was Ferb, outside reading his book. There was no sign of Phineas.

Isabella opened the worn gate with a creak. "Hey, Ferb!" she called cheerfully. "Where's Phineas?"

Ferb stared at her for a long time, and did not say anything. He was thinking about the best way to say where exactly Phineas was and what he was doing. Finally he gave in and gestured to the house.

"Okay, thanks!" Isabella hesitated just a little bit. Ferb had been just a bit more disconcerting than usual. Maybe something had changed with Phineas? She shook off her doubts and opened the sliding door to the house.

There were many things happening in the living room; the TV was on, Phineas was talking, and Perry was snoring. The only thing Isabella could focus on, though, was the blonde girl sitting next to Phineas on the couch.

Isabella slammed the door and put on her best fake sweet smile and voice. "I don't mean to interrupt, but what exactly is going on here?"


End file.
